Coleg Menai alumna Nadia-Lin curates gallery’s debut exhibition
The Oriel Sploj showcase features work by Nadia-Lin as well as fellow Art Foundation graduates Gwenno Llwyd Till and Maisy Lovatt
Artwork by former Coleg Menai students Nadia-Lin, Gwenno Llwyd Till and Maisy Lovatt is being showcased at a new artist-run gallery.
Oriel Sploj, in Machynlleth, launched this month with its debut exhibition, Floop - the first of a monthly programme of shows curated and organised by the gallery’s volunteer members.
It features wall-hung work by 17 artists selected through an open call, showcasing a rich variety of styles and perspectives from across the UK, but with a strong focus on Mid and North Wales.
Nadia-Lin is one of the curators of the exhibition. A visual artist from Conwy, her work draws on her North Wales roots, and she has been active in collaborative and independent arts projects across the region. Her most recent work investigates the North Wales sound system scene.
After completing the Art Foundation course at Coleg Menai this summer, Nadia-Lin secured a place at Manchester Metropolitan University, studying Fine Art. She is taking a year out to develop her skills and specialism before starting her degree, and is currently working as an event organiser with a wedding venue.
At Floop, she is exhibiting ‘Jan’, a life drawing she completed at Coleg Menai of model Jan Williams, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Gwenno is currently developing Archif, an ongoing social documentary photography project capturing artists in North West Wales.
She graduated from the Art Foundation course in 2020 before attaining a BA (Hons) in Film and Television at the University of the Arts, London.
Since then she has produced and directed her own films, worked for production company Cwmni Da, and been involved in various exhibitions and other creative projects.
Maisy stayed with Coleg Menai following her Art Foundation course, graduating last year with a distinction in her BA (Hons) in Fine Art.
Since then she has exhibited across North Wales, and is one of the artists featured in Archif. Earlier this year, Maisy and Gwenno featured in an episode of Y Sîn, an S4C series focusing on contemporary arts in Wales.
Joining Nadia-Lin in curating Floop is William Tremlett, an artist and filmmaker who grew up in Machynlleth. Together, they are launching Floop as the first in a series of monthly exhibitions by Oriel Sploj.
Oriel Sploj is led by a collective of around 20 local artists who have come together to run a space by artists, for artists. The monthly exhibitions will include group shows, themed shows and solo shows, with members taking turns to curate and organise.
Floop will be on display until September 25 - you can arrange a viewing by contacting splojmach@gmail.com. There will be a closing event for the exhibition at Oriel Sploj on Thursday, September 25.
Oriel Sploj is part of Sploj, a youth-led DIY culture space in Machynlleth that hosts a range of community groups and events, including Radio Dyfi, a community cinema, a licensed DJ bar, and live music nights. To find out more, and for open calls for future Oriel Sploj exhibitions, visit the website www.sploj.com
The Art Foundation course is specifically designed to prepare students for Higher Education and future employment within the art and design sector. Learn more here, or go to gllm.ac.uk/courses/art-and-design-and-photography to see the range of courses offered by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.